‘But,’ she went on grimly, ‘before I go, I need to say I’m sorry to Alex. You –you really do like her, don’t you?’
The question caught him off guard. It sounded light and carefree, but there was weight to it he couldn’t define. He felt his face heat and winced. How on earth was he supposed to tell his late wife’s mother how he felt about another woman, let alone how he felt about a woman like Alex?
Apparently, he didn’t need to.
‘Well, that answers that,’ the older woman said with half a laugh. ‘All right then. Well, I’ll make peace and get out of your way.’
‘All right?’ he asked cautiously. ‘Just like that?’
For a moment he thought she might say something else but then Patricia just sighed. ‘You deserve something good in your life, Nick Walker. Something more than just little Maeve. You deserve alifeand someone you love who truly loves you. And if you truly think she can give it to you I won’t argue.’
‘It’s a bit early to talk about love, Patricia. I hardly know her.’
She rolled her eyes dismissively. ‘You know your mind and you know your heart. But please, dear God, boy, be careful. I wouldn’t see you hurt again.’
Nick didn’t stick around to hear Patricia’s apology. He didn’t want it to look like he had demanded it, and it didn’t seem his place to eavesdrop either. Maeve came out of the study to let them talk, her shoulders still tense, her head low. So, Nick swept her up in his arms and held her close. She smelled of the forest, all fresh leaves and flowers and sap, his little girl, winding her arms around his neck like ivy, and squeezing tight.
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered in that tone she always used when she wanted to be forgiven. ‘Is Granny very angry?’
He let out a gruff laugh. ‘You frightened her. People sometimes get angry when they’re frightened. You need to tell her you’re sorry.’
‘I will. I promise.’
‘And don’t do it again.’
She didn’t acquiesce to that quite so readily. ‘But I don’t want to stay down in the village. I want to be here with you. And with Alex. I like her. And I think…I think we need to look after her,Daddy. The house doesn’t like her half as much as we do. Daisy said…’
She trailed off and Nick realised that too many times when she tried to tell him something Margaret de Wilde had told her, he had changed the subject or told her not to tell tales. This time he set her down on the bench in the hallway and looked into her face. Bright eyes stared back at him. Sally’s eyes, blue as the summer sky.
‘What did Daisy say?’
Maeve chewed on her lower lip for a moment. ‘That the dark man wants her. That he’ll use you to get her. I told her no, that you wouldn’t let the dark man hurt anyone. And she said I was…’ she frowned, her mouth twisting around the unfamiliar word…‘anim-be-cile. I told her that wasn’t nice.’
Nick took a careful breath in, let it out. Stay calm, he warned himself. This is Maeve. Not Daisy. Because if he ever did manage to get his hands on Daisy… ‘You’re right. It’s not nice. And not a word to use about anyone, okay?’
She nodded solemnly. ‘She said you kissed Alex.’
Oh. Shit.
It was like a punch to the solar plexus, driving all the air from his lungs. What did he say to that? How did he answer her?
‘Did that make you feel bad?’ he asked as carefully as he could.
Maeve looked away, squirming a little with obvious embarrassment. ‘Not…notbad. I like her. She’s nice. She talks to me like I’m not a baby. And if you like her…Granny says you’re lonely.’
Damn it, Patricia.
‘Did Granny say that to you?’
‘No, to Mr and Mrs O’Sullivan, and the cleaner, and Doreen in the surgery.’
Great. The whole village was now talking about how sad and lonely he was. And probably about Alex as well. There was nothing a small community loved more than a bit of gossip and who better to provide it? Just what they needed. Ghosts and the living, all speculating about the two of them and watching their every move. Perfect.
But right now, he needed to answer his daughter. And he needed to be honest. ‘I do like her. Very much. But I don’t know if she wants to stay here. And I don’t know if she likes me in the same way.’
Maeve frowned, shifted around a bit as if uncomfortable, and then seemed to reach a decision. ‘The dark man wants her. Like he wanted Mummy.’ A chill swept down his spine and the breath caught in his chest like it was snagged on a hook.
‘What dark man, love?’
